Hydrostatic stepless transmission

ABSTRACT

A hydrostatic stepless transmission comprises a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor, at least one of the hydraulic pump and motor being variable in displacement; a closed circuit for fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump and motor to each other therethrough, the closed circuit including a pair of oil passages between the hydraulic pump and motor, one of the oil passages being hydraulically higher-pressured and the other being hydraulically depressed when the hydraulic pump delivers oil to the hydraulic motor; a speed change operation device for changing output rotational speed of the hydraulic motor; and a leak valve connected to the speed change operation device. The leak valve is connected to the closed circuit so that, when the speed change operation device is suddenly operated, the leak valve allows oil to leak from the higher-pressured oil passage to an area hydraulically pressured lower than the higher-pressured oil passage, such as the depressed oil passage in the closed circuit or an oil sump out of the closed circuit, and then stops leaking oil when operation of the speed change operation device is stopped.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1.Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hydrostatic stepless transmission(HST). More particularly, it relates to a mechanism for easing rising ofhydraulic pressure at the time of sudden speed change operation of theHST.

2.Related Art

It is well known that a conventional vehicle having an HST operated by aspeed change operation member, such as a lever or pedal, is providedwith a mechanism for softening output change of the HST as to preventshock or jerky movement, that is, lifting of either the front or rearportion of the vehicle when the speed change operation member issuddenly operated to start or stop the vehicle.

For example, in a conventional vehicle as disclosed in the JapaneseUtility Model Laid Open Gazette Sho. 61-32653,a shock absorber filledwith fluid or gas is disposed outside a transmission housingincorporating an HST and is connected to a linkage between a speedchange manipulator (lever) and an operation arm for changing output ofthe HST, so as to soften movement of the operation arm even whensuddenly operating the speed change lever. The connection between thehydraulic cylinder and the linkage is complicated. The externalhydraulic cylinder must prevent fluid or gas from leaking and guardagainst water, dust, corrosion and the like, thereby making itexpensive.

Furthermore, since rotation of the operation arm is slowed, accelerationof the vehicle may be unexpectedly slowed. More specifically, even ifthe shock absorber is set to apply operational weight onto the speedchange lever such as being suitable for some people, other people mayfeel it is difficult to operate the speed change lever to getappropriate acceleration, and other people may apply a heavieroperational force onto the speed change lever against the resistantforce of the shock absorber, thereby unexpectedly suddenly changingoutput speed of the HST and causing shock. Thus, it is hard toappropriately set resistance of the shock absorber for operationalforce.

A conventional transaxle as disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model LaidOpen Gazette Hei. 3-69755 has a housing incorporating an HST and filledtherein with oil. A hydraulic cylinder is disposed in the housing andsupplied with oil from the oil sump in the housing. The hydrauliccylinder is connected to a linkage for moving a movable swash plate ofthe HST. However, the hydraulic cylinder serves as a shock absorber forsoftening movement of the swash plate, thereby including the sameproblem as mentioned above.

A conventional transaxle as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid OpenGazette Sho. 59-216733 has a switching valve which can be opened andclosed by operating a speed change operation means for changing outputrotational speed or direction of an HST. The switching valve is providedfor expanding a neutral zone of the HST so that, when the speed changeoperation means is moved adjacent to its neutral position, the switchingvalve is opened to bypass between the higher-pressure area and thedepressed area in the HST closed circuit. The switching valve isdisposed outside a housing incorporating the HST, thereby having theabove-mentioned problem in its protection.

A conventional transaxle as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,836,159 and6,109,032 has a housing forming an oil sump therein, in which an HSTcomprising a variable displacement hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor,and a center section with a closed circuit formed therein for fluidlyconnecting the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic motor are housed. In thehousing, a rotary member as a part of a linkage from a speed changingoperation device is connected to a movable swash plate of the hydraulicpump. A valve member, fluidly connected to the closed circuit, is fittedin the center section, and projects outward from the center section. Therotary member is extended to form a plate-like portion in contact withthe outer end of the valve member. The plate-like portion is formed witha groove. When an opening of the valve member communicates with thegroove, oil is drained from the closed circuit to the oil sump in thehousing so as to expand the neutral zone of HST, thereby easing shockwhen the vehicle starts or stops. Thus, the opening-and-closing of thevalve member depends on rotation of the plate-like portion of the rotarymember in contact with the opening end of valve member, therebyrequiring a considerably large space for rotation of the plate-likeportion in the housing.

Especially, each of the switching valve of the Japanese Document No.'733 and the mechanism of the U.S. Document Nos. '159 and '032 expandsthe neutral zone of HST so as to ease shock in case of starting oralmost stopping a vehicle. However, oil leakage from the HST closedcircuit is prevented when the HST is set out of the expanded neutralzone. Thus, when there is a sudden speed change operation of the HST outof the neutral zone, for example, when the speed change operation deviceheld in a certain speed position is moved suddenly, or when there is asudden speed change operation that increases the output speed of the HSTbeyond the speed range corresponding to the expanded neutral zone, thesudden speed change operation is directly reflected in output change ofHST, thereby causing a shock.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a hydrostatic steplesstransmission (HST) with a mechanism for moderating output change of theHST even when there is a sudden speed change operation regardless of theoutput stage of the HST, wherein the HST with the mechanism ispreferably disposed compactly in an apparatus such as a transaxle.

To achieve the object, a hydrostatic stepless transmission comprises ahydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor, at least one of the hydraulic pumpand motor being variable in displacement; a closed circuit for fluidlyconnecting the hydraulic pump and motor to each other, the closedcircuit including a pair of oil passages between the hydraulic pump andmotor, one of the oil passages being hydraulically higher-pressured andthe other being hydraulically depressed when the hydraulic pump deliversoil to the hydraulic motor; a speed change operation device for changingoutput rotational speed of the hydraulic motor; and a leak valveconnected to the speed change operation device. The leak valve isconnected to the closed circuit so that when the speed change operationdevice is suddenly moved, the leak valve allows oil to leak from thehigher-pressured oil passage to an area having a hydraulic pressurelower than the higher-pressured oil passage, and then stops oil leakagewhen movement of the speed change operation device is slowed or stopped.Therefore, the leak valve moderates the change of hydraulic pressure inthe HST closed circuit even when the speed change operation device issuddenly operated.

The leak valve does not allow oil leakage while the speed changeoperation device is gradually operated, thereby effectively using thecapacity of HST for acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle.

The leak valve may fluidly connect the higher-pressured oil passage ofthe closed circuit to an oil sump out of the closed circuit so as toleak oil from the higher-pressured oil passage to the oil sump.Therefore, only the higher-pressured oil passage of the two oil passagesin the closed circuit may be required to be connected to the leak valve,thereby avoiding complicating the closed circuit.

Alternatively, the leak valve may fluidly connect the higher-pressuredoil passage of the closed circuit to the depressed oil passage of theclosed circuit so as to bypass oil from the higher-pressured oil passageto the depressed oil passage. In that case, the leaked oil would notflow into the oil sump, out of the closed circuit, thereby reducingtransmission noise.

Further, the speed change operation device may be connected to a movableswash plate of the variable displacement hydraulic pump or motor througha speed change link member, and the leak valve may have a leak oilpassage for leaking oil from the higher-pressured oil passage of theclosed circuit to an area having a hydraulic pressure lower than thehigher-pressured oil passage. The leak valve may include a movablecylinder, a biasing member, and a piston.

The cylinder is movable between a valve closing position for cutting offthe leak oil passage and a valve opening position for opening the leakoil passage. The biasing member is provided for biasing the cylinder tothe valve closing position. The piston is slidably disposed in thecylinder and connected to the speed change link member. When the speedchange operation device is suddenly operated, the cylinder is movedtogether with the piston to the valve opening position, and then, bystopping movement of the speed change operation device, the cylinderreturns to the valve closing position by biasing force of the biasingmember while the piston is kept in its shifted position. While the speedchange operation device is gradually operated, the cylinder is kept inthe valve closing position regardless of movement of the piston.

Preferably, the piston is formed with an orifice that is opened to areasof a chamber in the cylinder which are on opposite sides of the piston.When the piston is suddenly moved, passage of oil through the orifice isresisted so as to move the cylinder together with the piston.Preferably, a reed valve is provided on the piston to open and close theorifice. When the piston is suddenly moved, the reed valve closes theorifice. The simple, compact and economic structure of the leak valveutilizes the movement of the cylinder together with the piston foropening the leak oil passage for leaking oil from the higher-pressuredoil passage of the closed circuit.

The movement of the piston and the cylinder may be substantiallyvertical. The HST may have a center section forming the closed circuittherein, wherein the cylinder may be movably disposed in the centersection. These structures are advantageous for making a compactapparatus, such as a transaxle, including the HST.

With respect to the connection of the leak valve with the speed changelink member, a second biasing member may be provided for returning thespeed change operation device, the speed change link member and thepiston to their neutral position. If the speed change link member is arotary member, a cam may be provided for connecting the speed changelink member to the piston.

These, further, and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention will be explained more thoroughly in the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mower tractor serving as a vehicle having ahydrostatic stepless transmission (HST) with a mechanism for moderatingoutput change of the HST according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the HST.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the HST involving a hydraulic pumpthereof.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the HST of FIG. 2, taken along lineIV—IV.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a leak valve according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a piston in the leak valveof FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the construction of an upperportion of the leak valve of FIG. 5, taken along line VII—VII.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the construction of a lowerportion of the leak valve of FIG. 5, taken along line VIII—VIII.

FIG. 9 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of an HST having a leak valve.

FIG. 10 illustrates actuation of the leak valve when the vehicle travelsforward.

FIG. 11 illustrates actuation of the leak valve when the vehicle travelsbackward.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a leak valve according to a secondembodiment of the present invention, in a neutral state when a vehicleis stationary.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the leak valve of the secondembodiment at the time of sudden upward movement of a piston rod forforward acceleration.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the leak valve of the secondembodiment at the time of gradual upward movement of the piston rod forforward acceleration.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the leak valve of the secondembodiment at the time of sudden downward movement of the piston rod forbackward acceleration.

FIGS. 16 a–b illustrate a leak valve according to a third embodiment ofthe present invention, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view of the leakvalve, and (b) shows arrangement of inlet ports in an outer cylinder ofthe leak valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle equipped with a hydrostatic stepless transmission(hereinafter, “HST”) according to the present invention will bedescribed below. In the present embodiment, a mower tractor 10, typicalof a vehicle equipped with the present invention, is disclosed. However,the present invention may be applicable to any other vehicle and anothertransmission, such as a hydraulic-and-mechanical stepless transmission(HMT).

As shown in FIG. 1, the mower tractor 10 is provided on its frontportion with right and left steerable wheels 15, and on its rear portionwith right and left drive wheels 16. An engine 11, as a prime mover, isdisposed on the front portion of the vehicle body. Output of the engine11 is inputted into an HST 25 disposed on the rear portion of thevehicle body through a drive belt 17 wound between a pulley 13 engagedon a substantially vertical output shaft 12 extended downward from theengine 11 and a pulley 23 engaged on a substantially vertical inputshaft 24 of the HST 25. Power transferred to the HST 25 is varied inspeed therein, and then transferred to left and right axles 35 extendedlaterally from a transaxle housing 33 incorporating the HST 25, therebyrotating the drive wheels 16 engaged on the axles 35.

An accelerator 26 serving as the speed change operation device forchanging traveling speed of the mower tractor 10 and selecting eitherforward or backward traveling direction thereof is pivotally provided,like a seesaw, on a footboard of a driver's part of the vehicle body.The accelerator 26 is provided on its front and rear ends with pedals 26a and 26 b, respectively. The vehicle body travels forward by depressingthe front pedal 26 a, and travels backward by depressing the rear pedal26 b.

The accelerator 26 is pivoted at its center portion on a lateral pivot27, and an arm 28 is fixed onto the pivoted center portion of theaccelerator 26 so as to be rotatable integrally with the accelerator 26.A speed change lever 30 is fixed onto an operation shaft 31 extendedlaterally (in this embodiment, leftward) outward from the transaxlehousing 33, and is connected to the arm 28 through a rod 29, therebyoperatively connecting the accelerator 26 to the operation shaft 31 foroperating the HST 25.

A mower deck 22 is disposed below a center portion of the mower tractor10. A rotary cutter 21 for cutting grass or other plants is located inthe mower deck 22. An input shaft 20 of the rotary cutter 21 is extendedupward from the mower deck 22. Power of the engine 11 is transferred tothe rotary cutter 21 in the mower deck 22 through a drive belt 18interposed between a pulley 14 engaged on the output shaft 12 of theengine 11 and a pulley 19 engaged on an input shaft 20 extended upwardfrom the mower deck 22 as an input shaft of the rotary cutter 21,thereby rotating the rotary cutter 21.

One construction of the HST 25 will now be described. As shown FIGS. 2to 4, the HST 25 is disposed in the transaxle housing 33 dividable intoan upper member 33 a and a lower member 33 b.The HST 25 includes ahydraulic pump 37, a hydraulic motor 36, and a center section 38. In thetransaxle housing 33, a brake assembly 80, a deceleration gear assembly81 and a differential assembly 82 are disposed together with the HST 25.The transaxle housing 33 is filled in with oil so as to serve as an oilsump supplying hydraulic oil for the HST 25 and lube for gears and thelike therein.

The input shaft 24 is extended upward from the transaxle housing 33, andthe pulley 23 and a cooling fan 32 are engaged on the portion of theinput shaft 24 above the transaxle housing 33. The input shaft 24receives its rotary power from the engine 11 through the above-mentionedbelt type drive mechanism comprising the pulleys 13 and 23 and belt 17.

The input shaft 24 is fitted into the hydraulic pump 37 as a pump shaftfor rotating the hydraulic pump 37 to supply hydraulic oil to thehydraulic motor 36. The variable displacement hydraulic pump 37comprises a cylinder block 44 and pistons 43 substantially verticallyslidably inserted into the cylinder block 44, and a movable swash plate45 above the cylinder block 44. The swash plate 45 is slidably rotatablyfitted onto a ceiling of the transaxle housing 33, and integrallyprovided at its bottom with a thrust bearing 46 against which heads ofthe pistons 43 are pressed by respective springs.

In the transaxle housing 33, a rotary arm 50 serving as a speed changelink member is fixed onto the operation shaft 31 and a projection 50 aof the rotary arm 50 is inserted into the swash plate 45, so that, byrotating the speed change lever 30, the operation shaft 31 and rotaryarm 50 are rotated integrally so as to change the angle of the swashplate 45, thereby adjusting the capacity of hydraulic pump 37, i.e., theamount of oil delivered from the hydraulic pump 37 to the hydraulicmotor 36, and selecting the direction of oil circulating between thepump 37 and motor 36.

In addition, an adjuster 51 for adjusting the position of the rotary arm50 is attached onto the transaxle housing 33 so as to adjust theposition of rotary arm 50 relative to the neutral position of themovable swash plate 45.

The vertically axial hydraulic pump 37 and the horizontally axialhydraulic motor 36 are slidably rotatably mounted onto the centersection 38. The center section 38 is fixed to the transaxle housing 33by bolts so as to be distant from the bottom of the transaxle housing33. An oil filter 47 is disposed between the bottom of center section 38and the bottom of housing 33.

In the center section 38 are formed two vertically aligned oil passages70 and 71 serving as a closed circuit for fluidly connecting thehydraulic pump 37 to the hydraulic motor 36, as shown in FIG. 9. Whenthe HST 25 is set for forward traveling of the vehicle, the upper oilpassage 70 is hydraulically higher-pressured and the lower oil passage71 is hydraulically depressed. In the center section 38 are provided twocheck valves 69, which allow oil from the oil sump in the housing 33through the oil filter 47 to be charged to the respective oil passages70 and 71, and prevent oil from flowing from the respective oil passages70 and 71 to the oil sump. The center section 38 is further providedwith a leak valve 68 for preventing sudden change of output rotation ofthe HST 25, as described in greater detail below.

The hydraulic motor 36 is connected to a vertical side surface of thecenter section 38 opposite to the axles 35, with respect to thehydraulic pump 37. The rotational axes of the hydraulic motor 36 and thehydraulic pump 37 are disposed in planes that mutually intersect at aright or 90° angle.

The fixed displacement hydraulic motor 36 comprises a cylinder block 40,pistons 39 substantially horizontally slidably inserted into thecylinder block 40, and a fixed swash plate 41. The swash plate 41 isintegrally provided with a thrust bearing 42 against which the pistons39 are pressed by respective springs.

A gear 75 is fixedly engaged on one end of an output shaft 74, i.e., amotor shaft of the hydraulic motor 36. The brake assembly 80 isconstructed with a friction disc 95 integrally provided on the gear 75so as to apply braking force to the output shaft 74. The brake assembly80 comprises a pressure member 96, a cam 97 abutting against thepressure member 96, and a fixed brake pad 99. The brake pad 99 is fixedto a wall of the transaxle housing 33, and the pressure member 96 isfitted to a wall of the transaxle housing 33 so as to be slidable byrotation of the cam 97. The friction disc 95 is disposed between thepressure member 96 and brake pad 99, so that, by rotating the cam 97,the press member 96 is moved to press the friction disc 95 against thebrake pad 99, thereby applying braking force to the output shaft 74.

The gear 75 engaged on the output shaft 74 meshes with a gear 76rotatably engaged on a counter shaft 79 supported at its opposite endsby outer wall and inner partition of the transaxle housing 33. A bullgear 78 as an input gear of the differential assembly 82 meshes with agear 77 formed on a boss portion of the gear 76. The gears 75, 76, 77and 78 constitute the deceleration gear assembly 81 for deceleratingoutput rotation of the hydraulic motor 36 and transmitting it to thedifferential assembly 82.

The right and left coaxial axles 35 are differentially connected to eachother through the differential assembly 82, rotatably supported by thetransaxle housing 33 and extended rightward and leftward from thetransaxle housing 33. The drive wheels 16 are engaged on the outer endsof respective axles 35.

As the above mentioned, output rotation speed of the engine 11 ischanged by the HST 25, reduced by the deceleration gear assembly 81,adjusted by the differential assembly 82, and then, transmitted to theright and left axles 35 so as to rotate the drive wheels 16.

The leak valve 68 is provided in the center section 38 to be connectedto the closed oil circuit formed therein. When the accelerator 26serving as a speed change operation device is operated suddenly (in aspeed over a certain set operation speed), the speed change lever 30 isoperated suddenly resulting in an unexpected sudden change of outputrotation of the HST 25. The leak valve 68 is provided for preventingsuch sudden speed change.

The speed change linkage with the leak valve 68 will now be described inaccordance with FIGS. 2 to 5. Referring to FIG. 5 showing the leak valve68 in the neutral state, the rotary arm 50 serving as a speed changelink member has a boss portion 50 c fixed on the horizontal operationshaft 31. The rotary arm 50 is integrally formed above the boss portion50 c with the projection 50 a horizontally projecting to be engaged tothe movable swash plate 45. The rotary arm 50 is integrally formed witha leak valve arm portion 50 b extended laterally from the boss portion50 c. A horizontal pin 54 projects from the leak valve arm portion 50 b.

The adjuster 51 has an eccentric pin 52 horizontally projecting into thetransaxle housing 33. A neutral return biasing member is provided aroundthe operation shaft 31 in or out of the housing 33. In this embodiment,a biasing spring 53 coiled on the operation shaft 31 serves as thebiasing member and is disposed in the housing 33. The biasing spring 53has its two end portions crossed and extended to pinch the pin 54 andthe eccentric pin 52.

The adjuster 51 is operable outside the transaxle housing 33 to bescrewed in and out so as to adjust the position of eccentric pin 52,thereby adjusting the neutral operation position of the rotary arm 50corresponding to the neutral position of the movable swash plate 45 ofthe hydraulic pump 37.

The biasing spring 53 biases the position of the speed change linkagethat extends from the accelerator 26, comprising the rotary arm 50, theoperation shaft 31 and speed change lever 30, to its neutral position,and thereby biasing the swash plate 45 to its neutral position. Wheneither the pedal 26 a or 26 b of the accelerator 26 is depressed, thepin 54 integral with the rotary arm 50 is rotated while the eccentricpin 52 remains fixed resulting in the gap between the crossed endportions of biasing spring 53 being widened so as to create the neutralbiasing force. Thus, when the depressed pedal 26 a or 26 b ofaccelerator 26 is released from the depressing force, the speed changelinkage returns to the neutral position so as to return the swash plate45 to its neutral position.

A piston 64 is provided in the leak valve 68, and a vertical piston rod55 is extended upward from the leak valve 68. A top portion of thepiston rod 55 is formed into a cam ring 55 a into which the horizontalpin 54 is inserted. The cam ring 55 a is horizontally widened so as toallow the horizontal movement of pin 54 caused by rotating the pin 54together with the rotary arm 50. The pin 54 is vertically tightened inthe cam ring 55 a. Therefore, the cam ring 55 a converts the rotation ofpin 54 to substantially vertical linear movement of the piston rod 55.

As shown in FIG. 5, the leak valve 68 has a vertical outer cylinder 58fixed in the center section 38, and a vertical inner cylinder 62slidably fitted in the outer cylinder 58. The outer cylinder 58 istightly fitted in a vertical valve hole 38 a formed in the centersection 38. The lower open end of outer cylinder 58 is extended downwardfrom the center section 38 so as to be open to the oil sump below thecenter section 38 in the transaxle housing 33, and provided thereon witha retaining plate 56 contacting the bottom surface of center section 38,so that the outer cylinder 58 is fastened together with the retainingplate 56 to the center section 38 by a bolt 57.

The piston 64 is slidably fitted in a piston chamber 62 c formed in theinner cylinder 62 and fluidly sealed against the inner wall of pistonchamber 62 c. A vertical hole is bored through the piston 64 forconnecting areas of the chamber 62 c above and below the piston 64.Alternatively, an oil passage may be formed within the inner cylinder 62to connect the upper and lower areas of the chamber 62 c, however, thevertical hole bored in the piston 64 can be provided more easily.

An upwardly opening top area of the vertical hole in the piston 64 isnarrowed to serve as an orifice 64 a. The piston 64 is provided on itstop surface with an elastic reed valve 63 covering the orifice 64 a. Thereed valve 63, the piston 64, and a retaining ring 72 preventing thepiston 64 from falling off of the piston rod 55 are fixed together on alower end portion of the piston rod 55.

As shown in FIG. 6, the reed valve 63 is initially spaced from the topsurface of the piston 64 as drawn in phantom lines, and if the piston 64receives downward pressure, the reed valve 63 is bent downward tocontact the top surface of piston 64 so as to close the upper opening oforifice 64 a as drawn in solid lines.

The outer cylinder 58 is formed with an annular inlet groove 58 a on itsouter periphery and with upper and lower annular outlet grooves 58 d and58 e on its inner periphery. The outer cylinder 58 is formed with upperand lower connection ports 58 b and 58 c, wherein the upper connectionport 58 b spans between an upper portion of the inlet groove 58 a and alower portion of the upper outlet groove 58 d, and the lower connectionport 58 c spans between a lower portion of the inlet groove 58 a and anupper portion of the lower outlet groove 58 e. In the center section 38is formed a connection port 70 a extended from the upper oil passage 70,which is higher-pressured when the HST 25 is set for forward traveling.The connection port 70 a is constantly open to the upper portion ofinlet groove 58 a.

The upper cylindrical portion of the inner cylinder 62 is slidably fixedin the outer cylinder 58 and the piston chamber 62 c is formed therein.A lower portion of the inner cylinder 62, below the upper cylindricalportion, is narrowed and its bottom end serves as a cylinder bottom 62a. A cover 66 with a retaining ring 65 is provided in a top portion ofthe inner cylinder 62 so as to close the piston chamber 62 c whileallowing the piston rod 55 to slidably pass therethrough.

The narrowed portion of inner cylinder 62, below its upper cylindricalportion, is formed therein with an outward open port 62 b extendeddownward from the piston chamber 62 c so as to bring the piston chamber62 c into communication with the inner space of the outer cylinder 58.Accordingly, oil filled inside the transaxle housing 33 is supplied tothe piston chamber 62 c through the oil passage 62 b, whereby the pistonchamber 62 c is filled with oil. Namely, hydraulic oil for the HST 25 isalso used for operating the leak valve 68 so as to save space and cost.

A spring 59 is disposed around the narrowed lower portion of innercylinder 62 in the outer cylinder 58 to serve as a biasing member forreturning the inner cylinder 62 to its initial position (a valve closingposition). A lower end of the cylindrical portion of the inner cylinder62 is stepped to form a downwardly horizontal surface 62 f, and an innerperipheral surface of the outer cylinder 58 is stepped at itsintermediate portion to form a downwardly horizontal surface 58 f. Anupper spring receiving plate 67 is vertically movably disposed above thespring 59 and below the surfaces 58 f and 62 f. A ring 62 g is fixed onthe cylinder bottom 62 a, and a retaining ring 60 is fixed to the innerperipheral bottom portion of outer cylinder 58. A lower spring receivingplate 61 is vertically movably disposed below the spring 59 and abovethe retaining rings 60 and 62 g.

The surface 58 f restricts upward movement of the upper spring receivingplate 67, and the retaining ring 60 restricts downward movement of thelower spring receiving plate 61. The inner cylinder 62 is moved upwardor downward relative to the outer cylinder 58 against the biasing forceof spring 59 toward the above-mentioned valve closing position.

When the inner cylinder 62 is moved downward relative to the outercylinder 58, the surface 62 f of inner cylinder 62 pushes down the upperspring receiving plate 67 so as to compress the spring 59. Afterward,the spring 59 returns by pushing up on the inner cylinder 62 through theupper spring receiving plate 67 contacting the surface 62 f so as toreturn the inner cylinder 62 to its initial (valve closing) position.

When the inner cylinder 62 is moved upward relative to the outercylinder 58, the ring 62 g on the cylinder bottom 62 a of inner cylinder62 pushes up the lower spring receiving plate 61 so as to compress thespring 59. Afterward, the spring 59 returns by pushing down the innercylinder 62 through the lower spring receiving plate 61 contacting thering 62 g so as to return the inner cylinder 62 to the valve closingposition.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, gaps are formed between the inner peripheryof lower spring receiving plate 61 and the outer periphery of cylinderbottom 62 a (with the ring 62 g) so as to serve as a lower valve port 85for passing oil between the inner space of outer cylinder 58 and the oilsump in the transaxle housing 33 below.

The inner cylinder 62 is narrowed or notched on its outer periphery toform an annular groove 62 h just above the surface 62 f abutting againstthe upper spring receiving plate 67. When the inner cylinder 62 slidupward relative to the outer cylinder 58 reaches an upper valve openingposition higher than the initial valve closing position, the groove 62 his connected to the groove 58 e formed on the inner periphery of theouter cylinder 58, thereby completing a leak oil passage from the oilpassage 70 to the lower valve port 85 through the connection port 70 a,the groove 58 a, the connection port 58 c, and the grooves 58 e and 62h.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the top portion of inner cylinder 62 is alsonarrowed and notched on its outer periphery to form an annular groove 62e so as to ensure a gap from the inner peripheral surface of outercylinder 58. The gap serves as an upper valve port 84 for passing oilbetween the inner space of outer cylinder 58 and the oil sump in thetransaxle housing 33 thereabove.

When the inner cylinder 62 slid downward relative to the outer cylinder58 reaches a lower valve opening position lower than the initial valveclosing position, the groove 62 e is connected to the groove 58 d formedon the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 58, thereby completing aleak oil passage from the oil passage 70 to the upper valve port 84through the connection port 70 a, the groove 58 a, the connection port58 b, and the grooves 58 d and 62 e.

As mentioned above, the valve ports 84 and 85 opened to the oil sump inthe transaxle housing 33 are formed on the top and bottom portions ofthe outer cylinder 58 respectively. The upper valve port 84 can alsoremove air bubbles from the leak oil passage easily.

When the inner cylinder 62 is disposed in the valve closing position,the leak valve 68 is kept closed to the oil sump (the leak valve 68 cutsoff the leak oil passage), and when the inner cylinder 62 slid upward ordownward in the outer cylinder 58 reaches either the upper or lowervalve opening position, the leak valve 68 is opened to the oil sump (theleak valve 68 completes the leak oil passage).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9 to 11, when the HST 25 is neutral, that is,when the movable swash plate 45 of the hydraulic pump 37 is disposed atits neutral operation position, the leak valve 68 constructed asdescribed above is set in a neutral state (S21 in FIG. 10 or S31 in FIG.11), the piston 64 is disposed at its neutral position, and the innercylinder 62 is disposed at the valve closing position.

When the inner cylinder 62 is moved together with the piston 64 upwardto the upper valve opening position, the leak valve 68 is turned into adownwardly open state (S22 in FIG. 10 and S34 in FIG. 11), where thegroove 58 e on the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 58 communicateswith the groove 62 h on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 62 soas to complete the leak oil passage from the oil passage 70 to theopened lower valve port 85, thereby draining oil from the oil passage 70into the oil sump in the transaxle housing 33 below the leak valve 68.

On the other hand, when the inner cylinder 62 is moved together with thepiston 64 downward to the lower valve opening position, the leak valve68 is turned into an upwardly open state (S24 in FIG. 10 and S32 in FIG.11), where the groove 58 d on the inner periphery of the outer cylinder58 communicates with the groove 62 e on the outer periphery of the innercylinder 62 so as to complete the leak oil passage from the oil passage70 to the opened upper valve port 84, thereby draining oil from the oilpassage 70 into the oil sump in the transaxle housing 33 above the leakvalve 68.

If the movement of piston 64 is slowed or stopped and oil in the pistonchamber 62 c is allowed to flow through the orifice 64 a, the innercylinder 62 shifted in the upper or lower valve opening positiongradually slides in the outer cylinder 58 by biasing force of the spring59 so as to return to the valve closing position while allowing thepiston 64 to remain in its shifted position (see S23 in FIG. 10 and S33in FIG. 11).

Explanation will now be given of actuation of the leak valve 68 whensuddenly depressing and releasing either the pedal 26 a of accelerator26 for forward traveling or pedal 26 b of accelerator 26 for backwardtraveling in accordance with FIGS. 5 and 9 to 11.

When the HST 25 is set for forward traveling of the vehicle, the oilpassage 70 is higher-pressured, and the oil passage 71 is depressed. Asshown in FIGS. 5, 9 and 10, when the leak valve 68 is in a closedneutral state (S21) and the front pedal 26 a of accelerator 26 isdepressed suddenly for forward traveling, the speed change lever 30 andthe rotary cam 50 are suddenly rotated together centered on theoperation shaft 31 to a forward traveling direction F, thereby suddenlypulling up the piston rod 55 and piston 64.

The piston 64, which is going to move rapidly upward in the pistonchamber 62 c relative to the inner cylinder 62, is pressured downward bythe oil within the piston chamber 62 c above the piston 64, therebypressing down the reed valve 63 and closing the orifice 64 a.Accordingly, the oil in the upper area of piston chamber 62 c above thepiston 64 has no escape path, thereby resisting the upward slide ofpiston 64. Therefore, the upward moving piston 64 applies upwardpressure to the inner cylinder 62 through the oil in the chamber 62 cabove the piston 64 so as to upwardly move the inner cylinder 62together with the piston 64.

Thus, the leak valve 68 is turned into the downwardly open state (S22)where the inner cylinder 62 is shifted in the upper valve openingposition so as to open the lower valve port 85 to the oil sump forleaking oil from the oil passage 70, so that the pressure of oil in theoil passage 70, when the HST 25 is set for forward traveling of thevehicle, is increased while being prevented from suddenly changing, thatis, output rotation of the hydraulic motor 36 is gradually accelerated.

When the upward movement of the piston 64 is stopped, the reed valve 63is returned by its elasticity so as to open the orifice 64 a.Accordingly, the downward biasing force of spring 59 becomes larger thanthe oil pressure in the piston chamber 62 c for preventing the piston 64from sliding relative to the inner cylinder 62, and the inner cylinder62 is slid down to the valve closing position by the biasing force whilethe piston 64 remains. Consequently, the leak valve 68 is turned into aclosed neutral state when the HST 25 is set for forward traveling of thevehicle (S23).

Then, if the depressed front pedal 26 a of accelerator 26 is releasedsuddenly, the speed change lever 30 and rotary arm 50 located in theforward traveling rotation range are suddenly rotated to a backwardtraveling rotational direction R by biasing force of the biasing spring53 to return to their neutral position so as to bring the HST 25 intothe neutral state. Simultaneously, the rotating rotary arm 50 suddenlypushes down the piston 64 and piston rod 55 shifted higher than theirneutral position so as to return them to their neutral position.

The piston 64, which is going to slide down in the piston chamber 62 crelative to the inner cylinder 62, creates upward pressure in the oilthereabove so as to open the reed valve 63. However, the opening area oforifice 64 a while opening the reed valve 63 is too small to pass oiltherethrough for allowing the sudden downward movement of piston 64relative to the inner cylinder 62. Thus, the inner cylinder 62 is sliddownward together with the piston 64 in the outer cylinder 58.Accordingly, the leak valve 68 is put into the upwardly open state (S24)where the inner cylinder 62 is shifted in the lower valve openingposition so as to open the upper valve port 84 for leaking oil from theoil passage 70 to the oil sump in the transaxle housing 33 above theleak valve 68.

Therefore, the pressure in the oil passage 70, which is higher-pressuredwhen the HST 25 is set for forward traveling of the vehicle, isprevented from suddenly decreasing, and the output rotation of thehydraulic motor 36 is gradually decelerated.

When the piston 64 reaches its neutral position in the leak valve 68from the upwardly open state (S24), the inner cylinder 62 shifted in thelower valve opening position is going to slide upward by biasing forceof the spring 59, and the reed valve 63 is opened by pressure from theorifice 64 a. Therefore, the inner cylinder 62 is moved upward andreturned to the valve closing position while the piston 64 is kept inits neutral position. Accordingly, the leak valve 68 is returned to theneutral state (S21).

Actuation of the leak valve 68 when the HST 25 is set for backwardtraveling of the vehicle will now be explained. When the HST 25 is setfor backward traveling of the vehicle, the oil passage 70 is depressedand the oil passage 71 is higher-pressured.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 9 and 11, when the leak valve 68 is in the closedneutral state (S31) and the rear pedal 26 b of accelerator 26 issuddenly depressed for backward traveling, the speed change lever 30 androtary arm 50 are suddenly rotated integrally centered on the operationshaft 31 to the backward traveling direction R so as to suddenly pushdown the piston rod 55 and piston 64.

When the piston 64 is going to move downward, the reed valve 63 isopened. If the open area of orifice 64 a is sufficiently small, thepiston 64 and inner cylinder 62 are slid substantially integrallydownward in the outer cylinder 58, whereby the leak valve 68 is turnedinto the upwardly open state (S32) where the inner cylinder 62 isshifted in the lower valve opening position so as to open the oilpassage 70 to the oil sump in the transaxle housing 33 through the uppervalve port 84. The oil passage 70 is depressed when the HST 25 is setfor backward traveling. However, if the hydraulic pressure in the oilpassage 70 is higher than the pressure in the oil sump, oil may bedrained from the HST closed circuit to the oil sump so as to moderatethe change of output rotation of HST 25.

When the downward movement of piston 64 with the inner cylinder 62 isslowed or stopped, the inner cylinder 62 is going to slide upward bybiasing force of the spring 59, and the reed valve 63 is opened so as toallow oil to flow through the orifice 64 a. Therefore, the innercylinder 62 is slid upward in the outer cylinder 58 to the valve closingposition while the piston 64 is kept in the downwardly shifted position.Accordingly, the leak valve 68 is turned into a closed neutral statewhile the HST 25 is set for backward traveling of the vehicle (S33).

On the other hand, if the open area of orifice 64 a is sufficientlylarge, the oil passes rapidly through orifice 64 a following the suddendownward movement of piston 64, whereby the inner cylinder 62 remains inplace while the piston 64 is suddenly moved downward. That is, the leakvalve 68 is turned into the closed neutral state when the HST 25 is setfor backward traveling of the vehicle (S33). Namely, whether the innercylinder 62 is moved together with the suddenly lowered piston 64 or notis dependent on the open area of the orifice 64 a.

When the leak valve 68, while setting the HST 25 for backward travelingof the vehicle, is in the closed neutral state (S33) and the depressedpedal 26 b of accelerator 26 is suddenly released from depression, thespeed change lever 30 and rotary arm 50 are suddenly rotated togethercentered on the operation shaft 31 to the forward traveling rotationaldirection F so as to suddenly pull up the piston rod 55 with piston 64.

The upwardly moving piston 64 is downwardly pressured by the oil aboveit within the chamber 62 c so that the reed valve 63 thereon is bentdownward and closes the orifice 64 a. Accordingly, oil above and belowthe piston 64 in the inner cylinder 62 cannot move, and the piston 64and inner cylinder 62 are slid integrally upward in the outer cylinder58, whereby the leak valve 68 is turned into the downwardly open state(S34) where the inner cylinder 62 is shifted in the upper valve openingposition so as to complete the leak oil passage from the oil passage 70to the oil sump in the housing through the lower valve port 85. When theHST 25 is set for backward traveling of the vehicle, the oil passage 70is depressed but at a pressure higher than the oil sump in the transaxlehousing 33, thereby draining oil from the HST closed circuit to the oilsump, whereby output rotation of the hydraulic motor 36 is graduallyaccelerated.

When the piston 64 is returned to its neutral position and stopped, thepressure of the oil above the reed valve 63 is decreased and the reedvalve 63 is returned to the original state so as to open the orifice 64a, whereby oil in the inner cylinder 62 is allowed to move verticallythrough the piston 64. Therefore, the inner cylinder 62 is slid downwardin the outer cylinder 58 to the valve closing position while the piston64 is kept in its raised position. Accordingly, the leak valve 68 isreturned to the closed neutral state (S31).

Alternatively, if the pedal 26 a or 26 b of accelerator 26 is graduallydepressed or released, the reed valve 63 is not bent, so that oil abovethe piston 64 can move through the gap between the reed valve 63 and theupper surface of the piston 64 and through the orifice 64 a to the areabelow the piston 64, and the oil below the piston 64 can move throughthe orifice 64 a and through the gap formed between the reed valve 63and the upper surface of the piston 64 to the area above the piston 64.

Accordingly, during gradual operation of accelerator 26 for forwardtraveling, as shown in FIG. 10, the leak valve 68 is shifted from theclosed neutral state (S21) to the closed state for forward traveling(S23) without passing the downwardly open state (S22). that is, the leakvalve 68 is kept closed so that pressure oil does not flow out from theoil passage 70. During gradual operation of the accelerator 26 forbackward traveling, as shown in FIG. 11, the leak valve 68 is shiftedfrom the closed neutral state (S31) to the closed state for backwardtraveling (S33) without passing the upwardly open state (S32), that is,the leak valve 68 is kept closed so that pressure oil does not flow outfrom the oil passage 70.

As mentioned above, when suddenly operating the accelerator 26, the leakvalve 68 is opened, wherein movement of the inner cylinder 62 completesthe leak oil passage from the oil passage 70, which is higher-pressuredwhen the HST 25 is engaged for forward traveling and depressed when theHST 25 is engaged for backward traveling, to the oil sump, therebydraining some of oil from the HST closed circuit to the oil sump throughthe leak oil passage. When gradually operating the accelerator 26, theleak valve 68 is kept closed, wherein the inner cylinder 62 cuts off theleak oil passage.

When the speed change lever 30 and rotary arm 50 are suddenly operatedto move the piston 64, the reed valve 63 closes the orifice 64 a or,alternatively, the opening of orifice 64 is so small as to resist oilflow between the areas above and below the piston 64 in the innercylinder 62, whereby the inner cylinder 62 is slid together with thepiston 64 upward or downward in the outer cylinder 58 so as to changeits position relative to the outer cylinder 58, thereby opening the leakvalve 68 so as to connect the HST closed circuit to the oil sump throughthe leak oil passage.

By leaking oil from the closed circuit of the HST 25, pressure in theclosed circuit is prevented from suddenly changing, and output rotationof the hydraulic motor 36 is gradually changed. Thus, even if theaccelerator 26 is suddenly operated, the vehicle is prevented from jerkymovement, that is, lifting of the front portion of the vehicle islimited.

Moreover, even if the leak valve 68 is opened so as to leak oil from theoil passage 70, the leak valve 68 is automatically closed afterward soas to make output of the HST 25 fully usable because only the innercylinder 62 is returned to the valve closing position while piston 64remains shifted. The reason why only the inner cylinder 62 returns tothe initial valve closing position is that oil in the inner cylinder 62is allowed to gradually flow between the areas above and below thepiston 64 through the orifice 64 a, and that the inner cylinder 62 isbiased to return to the valve closing position by the spring 59. Inaddition, when the movement of piston 64 is slowed or stopped, pressureapplied onto the reed valve 63 closing the orifice 64 a is reduced so asto return the reed valve 63 to its original position and open theorifice 64 a.

Next, a second embodiment of the leak valve 68, as shown in FIGS. 12 to16, will be described.

As shown in FIG. 12, upper and lower annular grooves 62 i and 62 j areformed on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 62 instead of thegrooves 62 e and 62 h of the above-mentioned embodiment shown in FIG. 5.Upper and lower annular grooves 58 g and 58 h are formed on the outerperiphery of the outer cylinder 58 instead of the groove 58 a of theembodiment shown in FIG. 5.

Center section 38 is formed with the upper oil passage 70 to behigher-pressured when the HST 25 is set for forward traveling of thevehicle and the lower oil passage 71 to be higher-pressured when the HST25 is set for backward traveling of the vehicle. The center section 38also houses the connection port 70 a extended from the oil passage 70 soas to be constantly open to the upper groove 58 g, and anotherconnection oil hole 71 a extended from the lower oil passage 71 so as tobe constantly open to the lower groove 58 h.

Within the outer cylinder 58, evenly leveled upper connection ports 58 iare extended inward from the upper grooves 58 g, and evenly leveledlower connection ports 58 j from the lower groove 58 h. The connectionports 58 i and 58 j are open on the inner peripheral surface of theouter cylinder 58.

Other parts designated by the same reference numerals with those of theleak valve 68 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 9to 11 are also used in this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, when the inner cylinder 62 is located inthe valve closing position in the outer cylinder 58, the upper groove 62i is connected to the upper connection ports 58 i and separated from thelower connection ports 58 j, and the lower groove 62 j is connected tothe lower connection ports 58 j and separated from the upper connectionports 58 i, so that the inner cylinder 62 separates the upper and lowerconnection ports 58 i and 58 j from each other. As a result, leak oilpassage between the oil passages 70 and 71 is cut off. Namely, the leakvalve 68 is closed.

If the front pedal 26 a of accelerator 26 is suddenly depressed forforward traveling, the piston rod 55 is suddenly moved upward and theinner cylinder 62 is slid upward together with the piston 64 from thevalve closing position in the outer cylinder 58 for the same reason forupward movement of the inner cylinder 62 in the leak valve 68 of thefirst embodiment shown in FIGS. 5, 9 to 11. Inner cylinder 62 reachesthe upper valve opening position so as to communicate the lower groove62 j with both of the upper and lower connection ports 58 i and 58 j, asshown in FIG. 13, thereby completing a bypass (leak) oil passage forleaking oil from the higher-pressured upper oil passage 70 to thedepressed lower oil passage 71 through the connection port 70 a, theupper groove 58 g, the upper connection ports 58 i, the lower groove 62j, the lower connection ports 58 j, the lower groove 58 h and the lowerconnection port 71 a. Namely, the leak valve 68 is opened.

When the suddenly upward movement of piston 64 is softened or stopped,the upwardly shifted inner cylinder 62 returns from the upper valveopening position to the valve closing position as shown in FIG. 14,while the piston 64 is maintained in the upwardly shifted position, bythe same reason for return of the inner cylinder 62 in the leak valve 68of the first embodiment. The inner cylinder 62 reaching the valveclosing position separates the upper and lower connection ports 58 i and58 j from each other, i.e., cuts off the bypass oil passage, therebyclosing the leak valve 68.

Alternatively, if the front pedal 26 a is gradually depressed and thepiston rod 55 is gradually moved upward, the inner cylinder 62 remainsin the valve closing position and only the piston 64 is slid upward,whereby the leak valve 68 is kept closed. This state of leak valve 68 isillustrated by FIG. 14.

If the rear pedal 26 b of accelerator 26 is suddenly depressed forbackward traveling, the piston rod 55 is suddenly moved downward, andthe inner cylinder 62 is slid downward together with the piston 64 fromthe valve closing position in the outer cylinder 58, and reaches thelower valve opening position as shown in FIG. 15 so as to communicatethe upper groove 62 i with both of the upper and lower connection ports58 i and 58 j, thereby completing a bypass (leak) oil passage forleaking oil from the higher-pressured lower oil passage 71 to thedepressed upper oil passage 70 through the lower connection port 71 a,the lower groove 58 h, the lower connection ports 58 j, the upper groove62 i, the upper connection ports 58 i, the upper groove 58 g and theupper connection port 70 a. Namely, the leak valve 68 is opened.

When the sudden downward movement of the piston rod 55 is slowed orstopped, the inner cylinder 62, which was caused to move together withthe piston 64 by the sudden downward movement of piston rod 55, is ableto return to the valve closing position to close the leak valve 68.Also, if the rear pedal 26 b of accelerator 26 is gradually depressed soas to gradually move the piston rod 55 downward, the inner cylinder 62is kept in the valve closing position regardless of the movement of thepiston 64, whereby the leak valve is kept closed.

In this way, the leak valve 68 of the second embodiment leaks pressureoil from the higher-pressured oil passage in the HST closed circuit tothe depressed oil passage in the HST closed circuit during a suddenspeed change for either forward traveling or backward traveling, therebypreventing the HST 25 from suddenly changing output rotational speed.

Furthermore, in comparison with the first embodiment, the leak valve 68according to the second embodiment bypasses oil within the closedcircuit of the HST 25 between the hydraulic pump 37 and motor 36,thereby inhibiting cavitation and reducing noise.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an annularly projecting land portion 62k is provided between the upper and lower grooves 62 i and 62 j on theouter periphery of the inner cylinder 62. Upper and lower ends of theland portion 62 k are slanted toward the grooves 62 i and 62 j as shownin FIGS. 12 to 15. That slanted portion allows the flow and pressure ofthe oil change gradually at the time of connection or disconnection ofeither groove 62 i or 62 j to the connection ports 58 i and 58 j by thevertical movement of the inner cylinder 62. Accordingly, shock at thetime of sudden speed change operation is reduced.

Next, explanation will be given of a third embodiment of the leak valve68 shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 16 shows a modified leak valve 68 of thesecond embodiment. The leak valve 68 of this embodiment also leaks oilfrom the higher-pressured oil passage in the HST closed circuit to thedepressed oil passage in the HST closed circuit when speed is suddenlychanged.

In the side wall of outer cylinder 58, as shown in FIG. 16( a) and (b),four pairs of upper and lower connection ports 58 i are formed atregular intervals (of 90 degrees) circumferentially around outercylinder 58, and extended radially inward from the upper annular groove58 g, which is constantly open to the connection port 70 a extended fromthe upper oil passage 70 which is higher-pressured when the HST 25 isset for forward traveling of the vehicle. Similarly, four pairs of upperand lower connection ports 58 j are formed at regular intervals (of 90degrees) circumferentially around outer cylinder 58, and extendedradially inward from the lower annular groove 58 h, which is constantlyopen to the connection port 71 a extended from the lower oil passage 71which is higher-pressured when the HST 25 is set for backward travelingof the vehicle. Each pair of upper and lower connection ports 58 i andeach pair of the upper and lower connection ports 58 j are aligned in avertical line. Thus, the outer cylinder 58 is formed with four sets offour vertically aligned connection ports 58 i and 58 j at regularintervals of 90 degrees

Between the two alternate sets that are 180 degrees apart on the outercylinder 58 (i.e., between the two opposite sets with respect to thevertical axis of leak valve 68), the four vertically aligned connectionports 58 i and 58 j of one set are evenly leveled horizontally with thefour vertically aligned connection ports 58 i and 58 j of the other set.Between the two neighboring sets that are 90 degrees apart on the outercylinder 58, the levels of one set of four vertically aligned connectionports 58 i and 58 j are not horizontally aligned with the other set offour vertically aligned connection ports 58 i and 58 j as explained ingreater detail below.

As shown in FIG. 16 b, the four pairs of vertically aligned connectionports 58 i (or 58 j) consist of two opposite lowest connection ports 58i (or 58 j) shifted 90° apart from two opposite second-lowest connectionports 58 i (or 58 j), and two opposite second-highest connection ports58 i (or 58 j) shifted 90° apart from two opposite highest connectionports 58 i (or 58 j). Furthermore, the two second-highest connectionports 58 i (or 58 j) are vertically aligned with the two lowestconnection ports 58 i (or 58 j) and the highest connection ports 58 i(or 58 j) are vertically aligned with the second-lowest connection ports58 i (or 58 j).

The oil path created in the third embodiment is described below withrespect to a sudden upward movement of the inner cylinder 62 togetherwith the piston 64. At first, the lower groove 62 j is connected to thelowest connection ports 58 i and becomes separated from the lowestconnection ports 58 j, wherein the groove 62 j communicates with thehigher-pressured upper oil passage 70 through only the lowest twoconnection ports 58 i, and with the depressed oil passage 71 through sixconnection ports 58 j (the highest, second-highest, and second-lowestconnection ports 58 j), so that oil leakage from the higher-pressuredoil passage 70 is restricted.

As the inner cylinder 62 and piston 64 are moved further upward, thegroove 62 j is additionally connected to the second-lowest connectionports 58 i and becomes separated from the second-lowest connection ports58 j, wherein the groove 62 j communicates with the higher-pressured oilpassage 70 through four connection ports 58 i (the lowest andsecond-lowest connection ports 58 i), and with the depressed oil passage71 through four connection ports 58 j (the highest and second-highestconnection ports 58 j), so that oil leakage form the higher-pressuredoil passage 70 to the depressed oil passage 71 is increased.

With still further upward movement of inner cylinder 62 and piston 64,the groove 62 j is additionally connected to the second-highestconnection ports 58 i and becomes separated from the second-highestconnection ports 58 j. At that point, the groove 62 j communicates withthe higher-pressured oil passage 70 through six connection ports 58 i(the lowest, second-lowest, and second-highest connection ports 58 i),and with the depressed oil passage 71 through two connection ports 58 j(the highest connection ports 58 j), so that oil introduced into thedepressed oil passage 71 is again restricted.

Finally, when the inner cylinder 62 reaches its upper limit position,the groove 62 j is connected to all of the connection ports 58 i andseparated from all of the connection ports 58 j, thereby stopping oilleakage from the higher-pressured oil passage 70 to the depressed oilpassage 71.

As mentioned above, the open area between the oil passages 70 and 71 isgradually increased and subsequently decreased during the upwardmovement of inner cylinder 62, thereby improving stability of pressurein the closed circuit when leaking oil from the higher-pressured oilpassage 70 to the depressed oil passage 71. When the inner cylinder 62is suddenly moved downward together with the piston 64 a similarbehavior results but in that case, upper groove 62 i progressivelybecomes connected to more of the connection ports 58 j and fewer of theconnection ports 58 i.

It is further understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoingdescription is a preferred embodiment of the disclosed apparatus andthat various changes and modifications may be made in the inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

1. A transaxle comprising: a common housing filled with fluid so as toserve as a fluid sump; a hydraulic pump disposed in the housing anddriven by a prime mover, the hydraulic pump including a movable swashplate, wherein the movable swash plate is operated by an externaloperation force so as to change the fluid delivery amount and directionof the hydraulic pump; a hydraulic motor disposed in the housing anddriven by fluid delivered from the hydraulic pump; an axle disposed inthe housing and driven by output force of the hydraulic motor; a centersection on which the hydraulic pump and motor are mounted; a closedhydraulic circuit formed in the center section so as to hydraulicallyconnect the hydraulic pump and motor to each other; and a valve disposedwithin the center section, wherein a valve port of the valve to beselectively opened or closed is disposed within the center section, andwherein the valve mechanically interlocks with the movable swash plateso as to release fluid from a hydraulically high-pressurized portion ofthe closed hydraulic circuit to a hydraulically depressed portion of thetransaxle through the opened valve port in correspondence to a conditionof fluid flowing in the hydraulic circuit.
 2. The transaxle according toclaim 1, further comprising: detection means detecting movement speed ofthe movable swash plate so as to recognize the condition of fluidflowing in the hydraulic circuit, wherein the valve is operativelyconnected to the movable swash plate and the detection means.
 3. Thetransaxle according to claim 2, wherein the valve is disposed within thecenter section so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to arotation axis of the movable swash plate, thereby releasing fluid fromthe hydraulically high-pressurized portion of the closed hydrauliccircuit to the hydraulically depressed portion of the transaxle.
 4. Thetransaxle according to claim 1, wherein the fluid sump of the housingserves as the hydraulically depressed portion of the transaxle.
 5. Thetransaxle according to claim 1, wherein the closed hydraulic circuitincludes a pair of fluid passages interposed between the hydraulic pumpand motor; wherein, when the fluid delivery amount and direction of thehydraulic pump is set for driving the axle, one of the fluid passages ishydraulically pressurized higher than the other, and wherein thehydraulically lower-pressurized fluid passage serves as thehydraulically depressed portion of the transaxle.